The Dandelion Children
by Staccato Stop
Summary: "I'm the hero of this story. Don't need to be saved." Post-series Joniss
1. Chapter 1

**THE DANDELION CHILDREN**

Johanna Mason woke with a start. She reached instinctually for the knife resting beside her mattress. With tired eyes, she scanned the room still cloaked in darkness and chilled with the early morning air. She sighed and pushed her sleep-tangled hair off her face. It was just the wind, she reasoned, but the fear coursing through her body wouldn't abate until she investigated. She readjusted her grip on the knife and untangled her legs from the sheets twisted around her by a restless night. Her limbs cracked painfully as she stood. "Fuck me." She murmured and twisted side to side. With one last crack, she began her descent down the stairs. The banging sounded once more. Startled, Johanna slipped on the last stair. She reached out to steady herself, the knife in her hand cutting a nasty gouge in the wall. She winced and rubbed at the new damage to her wall. "This better be fucking important." As in response to her complaints, the pounding on the door became more insistent.

"Johanna! Open the door! Johanna Mason!" An irritated voice bellowed from outside.

Johanna scrambled forward and flung the solid oak door open. "What? Who the fuck-" Her exasperation turned to confusion as she took in the sight before her. A familiar face with a disheveled dark braided hair stared back at her. "Katniss?"

"Johanna." She answered annoyed.

Johanna raked her fingers through her hair, "And you're here why?"

Hard grey eyes inspected Johanna up and down. "You look good." Katniss offered with an awkward shrug.

Johanna's skimpy pajamas of underwear and a threadbare tank top made it very clear that time had been kind to Johanna. There was no trace of the slight girl in the hospital bed afraid to fall asleep. Her eyes were bright and her dark locks fell past her shoulders in an un-styled mess of waves. The knife in her hand sat easily, like a natural extension of her arm. Johanna Mason felt sure and solid. She had a hunch her new arrival could not say the same thing. Katniss appeared wan and thin. Exhaustion seemed to hang from her limbs, whether from the exertion of the journey or a sum of sleepless nights, Johanna wasn't sure.

"Well, you look like shit." She lobbied wryly. She gestured with her knife, "And again I ask, why are you here?" Katniss pushed past her into the house.

"Uh, yeah, by all means storm right in. Hey!" Johanna grabbed her arm roughly. "What's going on? Is everyone all right?"

"Everyone is fine, which you would know if you answered your phone!" She snapped.

Johanna rolled her eyes, "That fucking thing was ringing all the time. I turned it off months ago."

"It didn't occur to you that people might be worried about you?" She extracted her arm from Johanna's grip. "Maybe some people were so worried they climbed this stupid mountain you live on to make sure you weren't dead."

"Who would-" She took in Katniss' appearance once more. "Oh you? You're _the someone _who needed to come check on me?" She laughed. Her brown eyes narrowed, "I don't buy that for a minute, brainless. We're not friends like that. So why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

"I'm here to check on you." Johanna crossed her arms and cocked her head. Katniss' face flushed. She wiped clumsily at her brow. "Fine. Don't believe me." She ground her heel into the wood floor and then snapped her heels together. The lines of her body shifted from casual irritation to coldness. "You're all right?" She asked her grey eyes inscrutable.

Johanna nodded bewildered by her harsh change of tone. "I'm peachy keen."

"Good then. Great! I'm glad I climbed all the way up here. I'll let everyone know." She turned and barreled towards the door.

"What in the hell is going on?" Johanna asked watching Katniss retreat across the unkempt yard. She rubbed at her eyes. 'Fuck me.' She thought as curiosity and concern propelled her out the door and down the stairs.

"Hey! Hey!" Johanna called. "Katniss! Wait up." Johanna sprinted across the yard her bare feet sinking into the dewy grass with each step. She caught up to the other girl easily enough, but no amount of cajoling would stay her movement. "Stop. Chill out. Just come back to the house."

Katniss stalked steadily forward. Her eyes fixed in front of her. Johanna hand pulled at her arm. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here." She shrugged the other girl off. "Just let me go." Johanna's hand remained firmly wrapped around her upper arm. "I said let go!" She yelled and pushed the other girl to the ground.

Johanna hit the ground with a hollow thump. She seethed in disbelief from her position on the ground. She climbed to her feet and wiped at the blood pooling from a split lip. "Fucking asshole!" She screamed. It was far too early in the morning for this shit. She glanced back at the door to her home swinging invitingly open, the siren song of a warm bed pulling at her bones. Her gaze drifted back to the long brown braid disappearing in the distance. Fuck it. Civilian life was boring. Without further consideration, she took off down the road. She ran as hard as she could and didn't stop until she slammed violently into the other girl's back. Johanna had a very simple theory about life: if words don't work, brute force probably will.

"Johanna, what's wrong with you?" Katniss growled into the dirt. She thrashed, attempting to throw the other girl off. "Get off of me. Get off!" She jostled Johanna enough to flip onto her back.

Johanna resettled her weight across Katniss' chest and held her arms firmly against the ground, "Not until you calm down." She peered down at the other girl.

"I am calm." She answered in a red-faced huff.

"Liar."

"Let me up, Johanna!" She spat.

Johanna wrinkled her nose as she considered. With a sigh, she relented, "Fine." She rolled to her side. "Damn it, Everdeen. You're just bones." Johanna rubbed at her bruised shoulder. She stretched out on the ground to catch her breath and looked up at the cloudless sky. Katniss glared in response as she wiped the dirt from her chin. "Hey," Johanna picked at the fraying hem of her shirt, "You started it. Don't throw the first punch if you don't want to fight. You think you would know better by now."

Katniss pulled a twig from her tangled hair. "I didn't come here to fight with you."

"No? Then why are you here?" She rolled onto her stomach. "Did you miss me?" Johanna asked archly. Katniss tried to reign in her emotion, but Johanna saw the flicker of uncertainty skitter across her face. She leapt to her feet, "You did miss me!"

Katniss sat unmoved on the cold ground. "I didn't-"

"Don't be embarrassed. I'm quite missable."

Katniss looked up at Johanna, her eyes laced with annoyance. Johanna smirked. She basked scantily clad in the morning sun. Her clothes and skin stained with dirt and grass. Bits of twigs and leaves nestled into her already knotted hair. She looked feral. She absently picked at the scab forming on her lip and considered Katniss with a disinterested gaze.

Katniss open her mouth and then closed it again. She considered the ground intently, "Can I stay here?" Her voice was small and even.

"Hell no." Johanna said with a smirk.

Katniss staggered to her feet. Her eyes still fixed on the ground. "Ok."

"God, you're pathetic." Johanna punched her arm. "I was kidding. Of course you can stay. Don't be dumb."

Katniss steadied herself. "I hate you."

"No you don't. You missed me." She mocked with elbow to the ribs for emphasis. Katniss gave no answer. "I'm going back to sleep. Feel free to do whatever." She added airily as she sauntered back across the lawn.

Johanna fell into her bed and breathed in deeply. The breeze filtering in through the cracked window filled the room with the smell of wet grass and sunshine. She waited for the sound of footsteps in foyer or the slam of the front door. Either she was coming in or she wasn't. The offer had been made. Johanna stared up at the cracked plaster ceiling and waited. She counted 19 cracks before the door downstairs quietly clicked shut.

"And people say I'm difficult." Johanna noted to the air. The clatter of footsteps echoed up the stairs. Johanna turned on her side and closed her eyes. Katniss shuffled by and Johanna heard her clack of her boots on the bathroom tile.

"Johanna?" Katniss called.

Johanna considered not answering. She rolled to her back. "What?"

Katniss appeared in her doorway of her bedroom. "Why don't you have any doors?" She asked bemused.

"I don't need them."

"You don't have any furniture."

Johanna sat up. "I like my empty house."

She picked at doorjamb, "I don't have to stay."

"Stay or go, it doesn't matter to me either way. Just make up your freaking mind." Johanna settled back into her bed. "And take a shower. I can smell you from here."

"You cannot."

Johanna feigned a loud snore. She followed it up with an even louder, more obnoxious, snore. Katniss snorted and padded towards the bathroom. The sound of the shower soon followed.

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	2. Chapter 2

**TWO **

"You're dripping on me."

"Sorry." Katniss responded, but she didn't move. Water continued to fall from her hair onto Johanna.

Johanna wiped her face and cracked one eye open. "Can I help you with something or are you going to continue to be creepy?"

"I don't know what to do…I don't know what I'm doing."

The tone of her voice stirred Johanna from mostly asleep to decidedly awake. Katniss looked better. Less peaked, but still exhausted. There was worry in her eyes and an unfamiliar awkwardness in her posture. "You're interrupting my nap is what you're doing." She scooted over to the other side of the mattress and then lifted the sheet up. "Come on. Get in."

"Johanna…"

"Just get in." Johanna was in no state to try to pull a story from the reluctant and stubborn lurker looming over her bed. She needed to sleep off a rough night and a strange morning before she could dive into whatever drove Katniss from Peeta's bed to hers.

Katniss shook her head. "This is weird."

"I'll keep my hands to myself, promise. Get in. Come on, you're letting all the warm out." Katniss shook her head once more and rubbed at the back of her neck. Johanna huffed, "Fine. Sleep on the floor, whatever." She let the sheet drop and rolled onto her side. A moment later, she felt the mattress dip and Katniss settled in beside her.

"What are we doing, Johanna?"

"Sleeping until we're better. It's a time honored victor's tradition."

"Yeah…" She gave a small tired laugh. "Ok."

Sleep came easy and her dreams stayed quiet and sweet. There was no blood, no fire, no chaos. Finnick's smile did not give way to Snow's and the water never came. Johanna woke a few hours later refreshed and surprised to find her limbs intertwined with those of another person. She opened her eyes and examined the girl pressed against her. It was a funny notion. Two girls almost too stubborn to seek comfort while awake sought it naturally while unconscious. She never wanted to care about Katniss Everdeen. She hadn't even wanted to like Katniss Everdeen. It was much easier to hate the girl on fire and her insufferable, tacky little romance. Yet, here they were a sated tangle. Katniss shifted in her sleep, a slight snore escaped her lips. They were friends. Had been, could be again? Johanna wasn't sure if friendship was fluid. Does it keep without maintenance? A year had passed. Can you just pick it back up? The catalyst for their relationship was a shared hate, a tendency towards violence and revenge. What commonality do they share now? Does a shared experience of soldiers extend to a civilian life? The clouds drifted outside and a stream of sunlight cut through the window. Katniss turned to escape the light. Johanna covered her eyes. They did share something, even if it was just a bed, for just a moment. Whatever the fuck that was worth. Johanna extracted her leg from underneath Katniss. She stretched like a cat in the afternoon sun. Her stomach grumbled with want of food. She stood up and considered Katniss' sleeping form once more.

"Your move, Everdeen. I don't know this dance." And with that she shuffled down the stairs in search of lunch.

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	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

**_'Silvy, Silvy, all on one day,_****_  
_****_She dressed herself in man's array,_****_  
_****_A sword and pistol all by her side,_****_  
_****_To meet her true love she did ride._****__**

**_She met her true love all in the plain,_****_  
_****_'Stand and deliver, kind sir,' she said,_****_  
_****_'Stand and deliver, kind sir,' said she,_****_  
_****_Or else this moment you shall die.'_****__**

**Johanna sang as she danced across her kitchen floor. She spun on her heel and pulled the cinnamon from the cabinet. She carefully sprinkled the spice into her mixing bowl. She had never tasted cinnamon before the games. Now she fought the urge to try mixing it into everything. The batter sizzled in the frying pan. Banana-cinnamon pancakes and bacon. The late lunch/almost dinner of champions. Or more aptly put victors.**

**_Oh, when she'd robbed him of all his store,_****_  
_****_She says, 'Kind sir, there's one thing more,_****_  
_****_A diamond ring which I know you have,_****_  
_****_Deliver that, your sweet life to save.'_****__**

**_'The diamond ring is a token won,_****_  
_****_I will keep it if my life I lose;'_****_  
_****_She being tender hearted just like a dove,_****_  
_****_She rode away from her true love._****__**

**She eyed up the dishes in the sink. She had enough dishes to make do, but someone was going to be eating with a spoon and it sure as hell wasn't going to be her. She flipped the pancakes and turned the music up. **

**_Next morning in the garden green,_****_  
_****_O like true lovers they were seen;_****_  
_****_He saw his watch hang by her clothes,_****_  
_****_Which made him flush like a red rose._****__**

**_'What makes you flush at so silly a thing,_****_  
_****_I fain would have had your diamond ring,_****_  
_****_I only did it for to know,_****_  
_****_Whether you were a man or no.'_**

"You're a terrible singer."

Johanna jumped and spun around. The spatula in her hand sent the plates flying off the counter. "Shit! You scared me!" She looked down at the mess on the floor. "Dammit."

Katniss smirked. "Clearly. I'll clean up the mess. Watch your feet."

"I don't have a broom. Also, those were the only plates I had. So…" She gestured with the spatula. "Good job."

"No doors. No plates. No furniture." Katniss looked Johanna up and down. "No pants apparently."

"This is a pants free home." She turned back to the stovetop. "Feel free to join in."

Katniss crouched down carefully and began picking up the ceramic shards. "Yeah, that'll be the day. You get radio all the way up here?" She transferred the broken pieces into the trash can.

"Nah, it's a tape. I found it when I bought the house. Oh and back to an earlier point, I'm a great singer."

"It's a good thing you're all alone out here. All I'm saying."

"You should be nicer to the lady cooking you a meal. All I'm saying."

"I'll take the risk." She wiped her hands on her pants. "Do you have any cups? I'll set the-floor?"

"We can eat on the couch in the other room. There are mugs in the cabinet." Johanna pointed at the counter. "Grab that bottle."

Katniss pulled two chipped mugs down from the cabinet and then grabbed the bottle. She examined the label. "Johanna, we can't have spirits and pancakes."

"First of all, it's wine," She said as though she were speaking to a child. "Second, of course we can. The best part of being an adult is eating irresponsibly and then washing it all down with alcohol. Third, and most important in my humble opinion, do you want syrup on your pancakes?"

"You're out of your mind."

Johanna opened the oven and pulled out the cooking sheet she stored in there. She piled the pancakes and bacon onto it. "Look. Like a plate and a table all in one." She held up the sheet with a proud smile. "Syrup?"

"Out of your mind."

"You would know all about that." She said sweetly as she pushed passed into the hallway. "Get that fork and spoon too."

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Johanna carefully set down the tray of food and settled on the couch crossed-legged. The couch was the only piece of furniture Johanna owned besides a mattress and storage trunk. It was a great wicker monstrosity covered in a blinding turquoise and pink paisley print. Johanna loved it the moment she saw it. It was a serious pain in the ass to get into the house, but it never failed to make her smile. Boxes of things she never cared enough to unpack and stacks of books filled the rest of the room. She laughed as Katniss eyed the set-up warily.

"Sit. I don't bite." She took her fork from Katniss' hand. "At least not on first dates." She added with a wink.

Katniss rolled her eyes and took her seat "Are these banana?" Katniss asked picking at her share with her spoon.

"Yeah. Banana-cinnamon. Only the best for uninvited houseguests." She said around a mouthful of food. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Pour the wine."

"A lot has changed in a year, huh? You can almost get produce year round now." She poured a splash of wine into a red mug and passed it to Johanna.

Johanna winced. Next thing they'll be talking about the weather. She had a sneaking suspicion that wasn't what brought the Mockingjay to her door. "No, no." She said. "Fill her up. I know we're going to have to talk about feelings soon and I would like to be drunk and full of pancakes before that happens."

"Johanna-"

"Nope." She held up her mug. "No feelings until you're smashed. Fill her up. Make Haymitch proud."

Katniss grit her teeth and considered the bottle. She shook her head slightly and poured a healthy measure into Johanna's mug. "I didn't come here-"

"Relax. Eat your pancakes and drink your wine." She gestured with her elbow. "And take your fucking shoes off. Stay awhile."

"I forgot how much of a pain in the ass you were." Katniss said dug into her food.

"Oh, so feisty."

Katniss filled up her mug and held it up. "To banana-cinnamon pancakes."

Johanna smiled. "Cheers."

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The Lady Turned Highwayman is the name of the song, not mine of course.

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	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

"So Haymitch is wrecked. I don't even remember what we took, but Haymitch is gone and it's time for the tributes' parade. We have to get him out of the chariot or Snow is going to have a fit. Finnick and Chaff are no help. Chaff is laughing his ass off. Fucking Finnick is on the ground. The poor kids from Five are on the verge of tears." She carries on through her laughter and wipes the tears spilling from her eyes. "I am screaming at Haymitch and kicking him. Nothing. He's dead to the world. Everyone else is already in the stands." She paused to take another swig of her drink. "Then the parade starts, like the chariots are pulling out. I'm starting to panic. Who knows what Snow will do if we fuck up his stupid parade. And all of a sudden, Finnick springs into action. He's starts saying we'll have to hide him; we'll just have to hide him. These were the old chariots with the seats." She doubled over with laughter. "So we just jammed him underneath the seat."

Katniss snorted. "No way. You're lying. You're lying!"

"I couldn't make this shit up. We jammed him under and he stayed passed out for all of the opening ceremonies. When the chariots came back in it took like four of us to drag his ass out of there."

"Unbelievable." Katniss refilled her mug from the second bottle of wine. "You know what? I take that back because one time Peeta and I found him asleep outside. He was just like face down-"

Johanna interrupted. "How is Peeta?" She looked up slowly.

"Subtle." Katniss said drawing out the syllable.

"You have met me before, right? Subtlety is not exactly a skill I possess." Johanna kicked Katniss from her end of the couch. "So tell me, lady friend, why'd you ran away from home?"

"I didn't run away." Katniss slurped her drink. "I took a train. I trained away. It's different."

Johanna arched her eyebrow. "Don't make me beat it out of you."

She sputtered. "Like you could."

"I could tomorrow. I'm drunk and sleepy now."

"Getting soft, Mason."

"Fine. Whatever. Keep your stupid secrets. I'm sure they aren't that interesting anyway." Johanna rolled of the couch and fell onto her knees. "I'm going to sleep. You can stay for however long you want. We'll get another fork. Ok?"

"I wasn't happy. I was okay, but I wasn't happy."

Johanna rose unsteadily to her feet. "Think you'll be happy here?"

"I don't think I've ever been happy anywhere." She gestured expansively.

Johanna scratched at her face. "We survive, but we don't thrive." She said airily.

Katniss pointed. "You are drunk."

"It's true. I heard someone say that once." She collapsed clumsily back onto the couch. She pressed in close against Katniss. "I'm the same. It's like, I know how to climb the mountain. I'm good at climbing, but I wouldn't know what to do if I ever made it to the top." Her head lolled back against the wall. "I think it's because I always thought I'd be climbing. I never thought there'd be a top. At least not for me, you know."

"We survive, but we do not thrive." Katniss murmured contemplatively. She cleared her throat. "My life is the easiest it's ever been and I'm miserable." She sputtered a laugh mixed with tears. "Peeta thinks we should get married. He wants to have kids, but that…That was never my plan." She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "It wasn't the plan."

"You don't have to marry him."

"I made him a promise. And I love him. I do."

"You still don't have to marry him."

"I have to do something."

"I, for one, have never been for doing something simply because it is expected. If you don't want to marry him, don't fucking marry him. It's simple."

"It' not simple, Johanna." Katniss jumped up from her seat. "It's anything but simple!"

Johanna leapt to her feet. "You're miserable." She jammed a finger into Katniss' shoulder. "You said it! You said it. Will marrying him make you happy? Johanna glared.

Silence filled the room.

Katniss shook her head. "No."

"Then that's your answer."

"He'll hate me." Her voice was hoarse with unshed tears.

"That's not enough reason to do it."

Katniss rocked on her heels. Her eyes tracked the room avoiding Johanna entirely. "Let's go to sleep."

"Yeah. Ok. Tomorrow we'll do sober feelings." She tilted her head. "Or maybe slightly less drunk feelings." She stuck out her hand. "Come on. Sleep."

"Yeah."

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	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

"I can read. Just not like very well."

"Oh. Ok."

"It is what it is." Johanna shrugged. "The workhouse school wasn't that concerned with learning."

Katniss swallowed a bite of her sandwich. She wiped at her mouth with her sleeve. "What's a workhouse?"

"You didn't have workhouses in Twelve? Mining's dangerous isn't it?"

"It can be…My father died in a mining accident. Gale's too."

"Lumber is dangerous too. I lost both my parents when I was 8. Logging accident." She took a bite of her apple. "That's where the workhouses come into play." She said around the food in her mouth. "If you don't have any family to take you in, they send you to one of those. Put you straight to work. It's a shit deal. Long hours, no pay. Fucking leeches. And the schools are a joke. I could read a little when I came. I taught myself the rest of what I know, but once you turn 14 they put you to work full time. Reading just didn't seem important at that point."

"I always thought Seven was a nice place. Not like One or Two, but you know better off than us. I didn't realize."

"There's money in Seven, but it's not like the rich to share. They used to make the older kids take the Tessera. They would make you claim the younger ones who weren't eligible yet. It was some loophole because we maintained the same residence or shit. It was a brilliant plan. Put the odds in the wealthy kids favor and kept the screws' families well fed." She threw her apple core into the woods. She stretched out on the grass. "My name was in there so many times" she scoffed, "and I was still surprised when they pulled it out."

Katniss finished her sandwich. "Peeta never took the Tessera. I put my name in three times every year and Prim's name was only in there once. I don't think the odds were in anyone's favor."

"Things are better now."

"For the moment."

"We'll probably be long gone before it all falls apart again."

Katniss raised her drink in salute. "Cheers to that."

Johanna wrinkled her nose and picked at the grass. "You know what's really fucked up? The games are probably the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Yeah, how so?"

Johanna squinted into the sun. "I'm going to show you. Get your shoes."

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	6. Chapter 6

**SIX**

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"The Johanna Mason School." Katniss spat the words out incredulously.

The building was a worn three stories brick with a series of double hung windows set across the front. Garden beds of brightly colored flowers grew under the windows and clusters of large oak and maple trees dotted the campus. Colorful chalk drawings covered the sidewalk leading up to the entrance of the school. Johanna gaze shifted from a gob smacked Katniss to the school. She jammed her hands into her pockets and admired her work.

"Johanna…"

"Close your mouth." Johanna shoved her towards the entrance. "You look ridiculous."

Katniss stumbled forward. "We're going inside?"

Johanna laughed and pulled at her elbow. "Come on."

"Ok."

Arm in arm, they climbed the stairs. Johanna pulled open the door. "Inside." She gestured with her head. "Let's go, you're letting the cold out."

Katniss hung back in the doorway. "Johanna…You built a school."

"I didn't build it. It was already here. I just gave them the money to fix it up." Johanna offered as she shuffled Katniss across the threshold into the entranceway.

Johanna breathed in deep, enjoying the familiar and homey smell of the place. There was a lightness in those narrow halls, a goodness. It was an intangible thing, unquantifiable, but evident. Johanna found happiness here. She found wholeness here. Her focus shifted to Katniss. It mattered, Johanna realized. It mattered that Katniss understood the importance of this place. Johanna felt a tingle of embarrassment as the silence lingered. Fuck it, she decided.

"What do you think?"

"It's amazing."

"Yeah." Johanna responded proudly. She smiled. "It's all right." She planted her hands on her hips. Katniss gave her a strange look. "What?"

"The Johanna Mason School?" Katniss questioned with a smile on her lips.

"Fuck you." She said with a punch to the shoulder for added emphasis. "They insisted. I swear."

"I'm sure you fought them so hard." She whistled softly. "You are getting soft."

"Fuck you twice. You and Peeta must have infected me with goodness. It's the only explanation." Johanna glanced down the halls once more. She remembered this place as darker and scarier. Horror and sadness lurked in these hallways, in these classrooms, but not any longer and she had done that.

"I grew up here." Johanna said quietly.

"Here?"

"This was it." Johanna ran her hand along the wall. The blue paint she had chosen dried nicely. She patted the wall. "Our rooms were upstairs. School and stuff was down here. This was home."

"How many kids live here now?"

"Twenty-six. We opened the school to the mill kids too."

"You built a school."

"I didn't build it."

"Johanna, stop it…stop being you for a second. You built a school. You did all this." She shook her head.

"Kids should get to be kids."

"I want to see the rest of this place."

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	7. Chapter 7

**SEVEN**

The rain started about halfway from the house. Johanna felt warmed by the day. The kids had been ecstatic to see her. They spent the afternoon chasing the little monsters on the playground. Johanna peered over her shoulder. The sad girl in borrowed clothes still slogged a few feet behind. She hadn't spoken a word since they set off from the school.

"You all right back there?" Johanna asked her eyes forward.

"Yeah. Fine."

They crunched through the woods. A cool breeze stirred the leaves. Johanna smelled the rain on the wind.

"It's going to rain." Katniss observed before Johanna could.

"I think so."

"How are you with all that now?"

Johanna shrugged. She scratched unconsciously at a Capitol borne scar hidden by her hair. "Better."

"You certainly smell better."

Johanna turned and sneered. "Hey runaway, best not throw stones."

They stared at each other for a moment and then a fat drop of rain landed on Johanna's nose disrupting their emotional standoff. Katniss cracked a smile and the sky broke. The rain tumbled down. Thunder crashed and their eyes met. Johanna took off running and Katniss followed. They galloped through the woods, through the rain, through the tumultuous feelings of the day. Katniss caught up. They ran shoulder to shoulder until Johanna cut a corner and leapt out in front. Johanna turned to gloat, but with a misplaced step, she fell to the ground. Katniss sped past. Johanna scrambled back to her feet.

"Watch it, Everdeen."

"Bring it, Mason."

She could see the red of her front door. She pushed harder despite the throbbing in her knee. She threw herself forward, but Katniss' fingers grazed the front door first.

"In your face!" Katniss bellowed. She threw up her arms.

"Rematch. I fell. Not fair." She said between gasping breaths.

"Sore loser." Katniss hunched over and grabbed at her sides. The rain dripped down her face. "Whooo, I am out of shape."

"You and me both." Johanna wiped at the hair plastered to her face.

"You've got mud all over."

"I fell down if you recall." She took a small step forward. She winced. "Banged up my knee pretty good."

Katniss wrapped her arm around Johanna. "Come on whiner. Let's get you inside."

Johanna put her weight on Katniss and allowed the other girl to help her into the house. "We're so having a rematch. I can't even with the smugness."

"Sore loser."

"Just help me to the couch."

"Touchy."

They shuffled slowly from the foyer into the living room. Johanna eyed the couch, but Katniss pulled her back.

"You have to take those muddy clothes off."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Johanna gave a pained leer. Katniss stared evenly back. Johanna relented. "I can't."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Johanna, I'm not taking your pants off for you."

"Well congrats. You are the first person to turn that opportunity down."

"Johanna."

"Katniss." Johanna smiled innocently.

"Why does everything in this house end with nudity?"

"Cause we are party people." She tried to put weight on her leg. "Ow. Fuck me."

"Fine. Hold on." Katniss conceded. "At least unbutton them."

Johanna laughed, tickled by the flush on Katniss' cheeks. "You're adorable."

"Shut up."

Johanna balanced on Katniss and unbuttoned her jeans with one hand. She pushed her pants down, Katniss followed suit on the other side.

"Okay, sit down." Katniss helped Johanna settle on the couch. She knelt down and unlaced Johanna's boots. She pulled off her shoes one at a time, followed by socks. With a slight hesitation, she slid Johanna's pants down her legs. "Swing your leg up there. Here put the pillow under it. You have to elevate extremities." She added knowingly, the stain of embarrassment still on her face.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Johanna smirked. She stripped off her shirt and added it to the muddy pile.

Katniss stared and picked at her lip. "Oh, it was awful." She said sarcastically. She looked away and then back at Johanna.

"What? Why are you being all fidgety?"

Katniss blushed. She stepped backwards clearly flustered. "I, uh, it's nothing."

"No, what is it?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. Do you have any ice? You should really ice that." Katniss asked a she sped off to the kitchen.

Johanna recognized a strategic retreat when she saw one. Her interest was piqued. She settled back against the couch and contemplated her next move.

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	8. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

The night sky was clear. The hum of cicadas and crickets carried across the lawn on the warm summer breeze. Katniss took a swig of wine from the bottle and fell back onto the blanket spread out on the grass. She pushed Johanna's feet away from her head.

"Who was your first?" Katniss questioned.

Johanna rested with her hands clasped on her stomach. "Kid from home. Mika."

"Did you love him?"

"No." She answered confidently.

"Do you wish that you had?"

"Loved him?" Katniss nodded. "I liked him. I wanted him. That felt like enough."

"Peeta was my first everything."

"Not tall, dark, and handsome?" Johanna propped herself up on her elbows.

"Gale?" Katniss laughed quietly. "No. We were just friends."

"Did you love him?" Johanna poked Katniss' shoulder with her toe.

"I didn't think about things like that."

"What about now?"

Katniss sat up abruptly and took another pull on the bottle. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. "I don't know. Let's talk about something else."

Johanna sat up and hugged her knees against her chest. "Ok. Ummmmm, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

"I don't know. Not hungry."

Johanna snagged the bottle. "You're depressing to talk to, you know that?"

Katniss sneered and grabbed the bottle back. "Yeah well, what did you want to be?"

"A teacher."

"Really?"

"I knew I'd end up logging, but I had my heart set on being a teacher."

"Are you going to be a teacher now?"

"Nah. I just really liked being in charge. I think that's why teaching appealed to bossy child me."

"It doesn't continue to appeal to bossy adult you?"

"I'm not bossy. I'm assertive. It's different." Johanna insisted.

"You are different."

"Yeah. Yeah, well, you're mean. People don't know that about you. They think," She pitched her voice and clutched at Katniss' hand, "'Oh Katniss Everdeen, she'll save us all. Oh Katniss is so special and nice.' But, _you_ aren't nice."

"I was never the nice one."

Johanna cocked her head. "Not that's true. You weren't. I was the nice one."

Katniss laughed. She laughed so hard that tears spilled down her face. She clutched at her sides. "The nice one. Fuck." She wiped at her eyes.

Johanna smiled and admired the sight of her friend laughing in the moonlight. Katniss' hair was loose. The tangled waves fell in a careless cascade across her shoulders. A few nights of restful sleep had nearly erased the dark circles from under her eyes. Johanna felt a pull in her stomach. She wanted to press in and steal the laughter from her lips. She had caught Katniss looking. She noticed the other girl drifting into her space, but then with a nervous energy drift back again.

Johanna smirked. "I am nice. It's just that it's an aggressive kind of nice. It's not for everyone."

Katniss snorted. "You're not suitable for public consumption."

Johanna leaned in and paused a hairbreadth from Katniss' face. "I am suitable for all kinds of consumption." She said in a low voice.

Katniss licked her lips. "What are you doing?" She asked nervously.

"I'm waiting for you."

"Waiting for what?"

"For you to kiss me."

Katniss sputtered and drew back. "I don't…No, I don't."

"I think you want to." Johanna whispered. She pushed a stray lock of hair of Katniss' face. "I want you to."

Katniss caught Johanna's hand as it retreated. "I'm just not…I don't know."

Johanna turned Katniss' hand over and planted a kiss on her palm. "Well when you figure it out, I'll be here." Johanna let her hand drop. She settled onto her back once more. She looked up at the other girl expectantly.

Katniss exhaled a deep, shaky breath. She lay down, her body flush against Johanna's. Johanna could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Desire pooled low and warm in her stomach. She waited and waited. She reveled in the anticipation, the burn in her gut and the wetness between her legs. Katniss turned on her side. She looked down at Johanna and ran a tentative hand across her stomach. Katniss' hand moved slowly upwards, grazing Johanna's breast and finally settling against her cheek. Johanna kissed the tip of Katniss' thumb. Johanna nodded slightly and with one more moment of hesitation, Katniss pressed a kiss against her lips.

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	9. Chapter 9

**NINE**

Katniss' lips opened at push of Johanna's tongue. She twisted her fingers in Johanna's hair. Johanna's brain was a slurry of excitement and sensation. Their tongues met in a frenzied, greedy clash. Johanna twined her fingers in Katniss' belt loops and yanked her closer. Johanna pushed Katniss onto her back. She straddled the other girl and pinned Katniss' arms above her head. Katniss pulled her arms from Johanna grasp and slipped her hands under Johanna's shirt. Her thumbs flicked across Johanna's erect nipples. Johanna moaned and rolled her hips forward. Katniss pulled Johanna's shirt over her head and took in the sight of her small breasts dangling above her. Johanna leaned down to kiss her once more. She moved her lips from Katniss' mouth to her ear. She licked the shell of Katniss' ear and whispered.

"Not fair. You've still got too many clothes on."

Katniss lurched upwards. She wrapped her arms around Johanna to resettle the other girl in her lap. Her eyes were wide.

Johanna panicked internally. Too fast? Too hard? "You all right?" She asked concerned.

Katniss nodded. She gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah. I'm fine." She lifted up her shirt and removed it.

Johanna tangled her fingers in Katniss' hair. She rocked forward. "You're fucking beautiful."

"Shut up."

Johanna hand inched under Katniss' bra. "Shut me up."

Katniss surged forward pushing Johanna onto her back. She repositioned her body so she sat astride Johanna's hips. She unclasped her bra. Johanna eyed her greedily. Katniss leaned forward and drove her tongue into Johanna's mouth. Johanna's hands ran across her back and up into her hair roughly drawing her even closer. Johanna bit at Katniss' lip as she tried to pull away.

"We should go inside."

Johanna gazed up at Katniss, her hair a disaster and her pupils blown. She pressed her thighs together excited by the wetness between her legs. "Yeah. Let's go."

Katniss stood and pulled Johanna to her feet. Katniss threw her arms around the other girl's neck and kissed Johanna again, slow and deep. Johanna reveled in the heat of another person flush against her. She lost herself in the feeling of hard and soft and willing pressed up against her.

Katniss broke away. "I don't know how to do this."

"It's easy." Johanna placed her hands on Katniss' ass. She rolled her hips against her. "I'll teach you."

They managed to make it inside the house and onto the stairs before Katniss threw herself at Johanna again. She pressed the other girl up against the wall. Her lips traveled from Johanna's mouth, to her neck, to her chest. She placed a kiss on her breast. Johanna smiled at the innocence, the gentle questioning in her caress.

"Yeah, yeah. Like that." Johanna murmured.

Katniss cupped Johanna's breast. She swirled her tongue around the nipple. She teased her gently with her teeth.

"Yeah." Johanna sighed. She reached for the other girl's chin and gently tugged her upwards. "Upstairs, now."

They stumbled up the stairs together. Johanna staggered into her room with Katniss' arms around her neck. She shifted her weight to toss the other girl down onto the mattress. Katniss stared up at her. "Too rough?"

"I like it." Katniss admitted with a flush on her cheeks. She spread her legs invitingly. "Well come on."

Johanna fell to her knees and moved between Katniss' legs. Her hand advanced up Katniss' denim clad leg, across her knee, lingering on her fly. Katniss emitted a small gasp. Johanna laughed and dropped a kiss on her stomach. She continued kissing and licking her way upwards.

Johanna paused with her hand on Katniss' belt. "You ok?"

"Yes." She answered readily.

Johanna unbuttoned Katniss' pants and slid her hand inside. Fingers splayed she gently moved her hand up and down over her panties. Katniss breathing hitched. Johanna moved slowly, enjoying the growing sensation of slickness on her fingers.

"Say you're wet for me." Johanna stayed her movement.

"What? No."

"Say it."

"Mmmgh for you." She mumbled.

"What?"

"Don't stop." She said in an almost whine.

"Say it."

"Fine. Johanna Mason, I'm wet for you. Happy?"

Johanna grinned. "Of course you are." She murmured against Katniss' mouth.

"I can think of a better use for that mouth of yours, rather than all this talking."

"You're a dirty girl!" Johanna exclaimed. She started to yell. "Katniss Everdeen is a dirty girl!"

Katniss stared up at her with a dazed look. "Why are you yelling?"

"The world needs to know."

"Shut up and take your pants off."

Johanna gave a mock salute. "Yes ma'am."


	10. Chapter 10

**TEN**

Johanna stepped into the bathtub. She kneeled and ran her hand up Katniss' leg. She cupped Katniss' chin in her hand and drew her in for a kiss. She could feel Katniss' smile against her lips. Katniss pushed back Johanna's hair.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Johanna pulled away and settled in against the opposite side of the tub. "It's about time we did something about that unbearable sexual tension."

"There's something wrong with you."

"You like it."

"I've actually been pretending to like you this entire time. I just wanted to get into your pants."

"You could have just asked. No need to burst into my house uninvited."

Katniss laughed. "I didn't burst in. I knocked first."

"Too much sex has given you short term memory loss, girl. You came running into my house declaring your need for me and my amazingness."

"I think you're the sex addled one."

Johanna shrugged nonchalantly. "That's how I remember it."

Katniss kicked water at her. "What's it like to live in your own world?"

"It's a wonderful place."

Johanna rested her head against the shower wall. She stared across at Katniss who stared intently back.

"You still good?"

"Yeah. I'm amazing." Katniss responded with a wide grin.

"Ok. Good." Johanna smiled brightly. The slight worry she was harboring evaporated. Her smile morphed into a smirk. She ran her foot along Katniss' shin. "I mean, I did just rock your fucking world, you better be amazing."

"I wouldn't say you rocked my world. I mean it was all right."

"Take it back."

"Make me."


	11. Chapter 11

**ELEVEN **

"I should go." Katniss wrung out her hair with a towel. She sat down on the edge of the mattress.

Johanna settled against the wall. Her heart skipped a beat. She crossed her legs. "Why? You just started earning your keep."

"Johanna." Katniss glared.

The Katniss Everdeen glare of moral superiority was a familiar sight in the Mason household. Johanna's throat tightened as she stared down at Katniss. It wasn't just the glare that was becoming familiar. It was the reluctant smile when Johanna said something lewd and the sight of her face as she came. It was the laugh that filled the room, the banter that never ended, the way that pretty, infuriating girl had inextricably burrowed into to her life. The thought of her leaving induced a level panic of which Johanna hadn't thought herself capable. She couldn't pinpoint the moment it happened, but she was certain a shift had taken place. The word friend no longer defined the feeling. It was an intense and furious like that was quickly (potentially, probably) approaching an unfamiliar love. The word still felt strange on Johanna's tongue, but the burn, the pull in her chest, was mechanical, unavoidable. It wasn't a thing to let slip through your fingers.

"You're face is going to freeze that way." Johanna scolded. She scrunched down beside Katniss and rested her hand on Katniss' arm. "You should stay."

"I can't just stay here forever. Johanna, what am I doing? What are we doing?"

"Fucking," Johanna bit her tongue, "mostly." Johanna winced. Scorn and apathy were her default settings. She readjusted her grip on Katniss' hand.

"I'm serious."

Johanna swallowed hard. "It's different with you, the way I feel, it's more with you than it ever was with anyone else." Johanna looked down at here feet. "Please stay."

Katniss squeezed her hand. "I want to. I'd like to."

"Well then, stay! What's the problem?"

"I can't just hole up in your life."

Two independent bodies had coalesced and two separate lives had overlapped. In that moment, Johanna wanted to feel consumed, but she knew the feeling would wear thin. "Well maybe not forever, but for a while. I've got space."

"I feel like I'm always running from one thing to the next."

Johanna wrapped her arms around Katniss' shoulders. She pulled her in. "So stop, brainless. This is not a hard decision."

Katniss pushed Johanna off. "What if I never leave?"

"We'll have to get another fork."

"And maybe a table."

Johanna shook her head. "I draw the line at tables."

Katniss laughed and Johanna smiled.

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	12. Chapter 12

**TWELVE**

"He was always so nice to me. That's a terrible reason to be angry at someone."

"Maybe you're a bad person." Johanna added insouciantly.

"Not helping."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"I don't want you to say anything."

"You know that's very hard for me."

She rolled her eyes. "Try."

"Fine, but only because you're pretty." Johanna linked their arms. They continued the trek from the school back to Johanna's in a contemplative silence. Johanna bit her tongue. She opened her mouth to speak, but the other girl beat her too it.

"I thought I was going to die in the arena, but I didn't. I lived and my life became this ridiculous, convoluted mess. Then it happened again and I was certain I wouldn't live through that game. I was going to sacrifice my life for his. You know how that played out. I've spent the last few years ready to die. Every day, every assignment, I knew it could end with me in a box. I expected it to end that way. I was ready for it, but here I am and so many other people aren't. Prim is gone and Finnick. Rue, Wiress, Madge, Mags…It's all so fucked up." She spat out in a rush.

"You could still die tomorrow." Johanna quirked an eyebrow. "Does that make you feel better?"

"No." Katniss gritted her teeth. "Oddly enough, Johanna, that doesn't make me feel better."

"You have to do it. Life. That's like how it works. You get up every morning and you just fucking do it. Even when people say you shouldn't, fuck, especially when they say you shouldn't. You just have to live the shit out of it. Taste everything, touch everything, do it all. That way when it's over, you'll be relieved. You know because you're like tired and shit." She finished with a shrug.

"You should write books." Katniss responded wryly.

"Fuck you." She shoved her gently. "It's all you can do."

"You can't just go crashing through the world. There are rules and other people. There are expectations."

"Fuck that noise. I lived under the thumb of administrators and Snow. Then, Coin and 13. My life wasn't mine for years and it sucked. I decide now. If I don't want to wear pants, I don't wear them. If I want to build and orphanage, I fucking build an orphanage."

"You make it sound so easy."

"I didn't say it was easy. Some days, it's seriously fucking hard. There are days I don't leave the couch. There are nights I wake up screaming. I keep a knife under my pillow. I drink…a lot. I don't have any doors, because I don't like confined spaces. Some days, I'm a little bit of a mess. Other days, I'm a train wreck, but I gave a home to a bunch of kids. They call me Miss Johanna and they smile when they see me. I'm fucking a beautiful girl. I can look in the mirror and not want to destroy shit. I'm happy. Most days, enough days. You can run at the world or you can keep whining and wallowing. I'd prefer you chose the first option."

"You're infuriating."

"I'm delightful…Well, what's it going to be, Katniss Everdeen?"

"Let's get married."

Johanna choked. "What?"

"I'm just trying 'to live the shit out of life' as I was instructed."

"Well, I'm…we could, it's just…um." Johanna flushed and stumbled over her words.

Katniss broke. She erupted into laughter. "Your face! Oh man, your face. Who knew the 'm' word would turn the indomitable Johanna Mason into jelly?" Katniss mocked.

"I think my heart stopped." Johanna pressed her hand against her chest. She sighed. "Fuck me."

"Is that an offer?"

Johanna smirked. "Always."


	13. Chapter 13

**THIRTEEN **

Johanna spread a generous dollop of butter onto two pieces of toast. She pushed the second plate towards the empty chair. Katniss placed two glasses of orange juice onto the table and settled into her seat.

"Thanks." Johanna murmured and shifted her focus back to the stack of paper in front of her.

"No problem." Katniss bit into her toast.

Johanna blinked and rubbed at her eyes. "I think I need glasses. This shit's all blurry."

"You are getting old."

Johanna kicked her under the table. "I'm only a few years older than you."

"You look much older."

Johanna slurped at her juice. "Rude."

Silence fell as Johanna picked up her papers again. Katniss stared out of the window with an intensity that drew Johanna's attention.

"What's a matter, Everdeen?"

"I have to go."

Johanna snorted. "So go. You know where the bathroom is."

Katniss' eyes snapped to Johanna. "Not to the bathroom. I have to go back to Twelve."

"Wait, what? I thought we were done with all this. I thought you were staying. I bought a table for you!"

"I bought a table. You moped the entire time. I had to buy you ice cream to get you to stop."

"I like my space."

"There's something wrong with you."

"I was tortured in a very small room for a very long time."

"Don't be a whiner. No one likes a complainer." Katniss stuck out her tongue.

"Shut up, Miss screams all night."

"What can I say, you have a talented tongue."

"Stop trying to distract me with sex."

"Says the girl who took off all her clothes like the first time we ever met."

"I wanted to see if I could make you-stop being a dick. What do you mean you're leaving?"

She took a deep breath. "I have to go back. I just left. I need to do things right. I need to say goodbye. They deserve that much. He deserves that much."

Johanna gritted her teeth. "That's fair. I mean, I don't like it, but it's fair."

"Well, I'm glad you approve." Katniss responded sarcastically.

"You going to tell him about us?"

"I probably won't lead with that…Me and you has nothing to do with him."

"You think he'll cry?"

"Johanna!"

"What? You think you'll cry?"

"Fuck you." Katniss pushed herself away from the table. Her chair scraped violently against the floor.

Johanna held up her hands. "I'm bad at comforting. Okay? Mocking comes more naturally to me." Johanna searched her brain for a supportive quip. "I'll beat him up if he makes you cry."

"I don't need to be saved." She said with an irritated edge.

"I would save you."

"I wouldn't need you to." Katniss emphasized.

Johanna shrugged haughtily. "Well, I've already done it."

Katniss traced the scar on her arm. "I saved all of you."

"Unintentionally and with much hand wringing, if I recall."

"I got it together at the end! Unlike some people."

"Tortured! I was tortured for you and your half-assed revolution."

Katniss jumped to her feet. "They murdered my sister!"

Johanna stood up. "You wanted to murder other people's children!"

"So did you!" Katniss bellowed back.

They stood face to face, both red faced and breathing hard.

"Do you feel better?" Johanna asked.

She nodded shakily. "I feel better."

"All right. You're still going to go?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

"Fine. Just make sure you come back."

"I will."


	14. Chapter 14

**FOURTEEN**

"Don't stop. Everdeen! Fuck. If you stop, I will end you."

Katniss lifted her head from between Johanna's legs. She smirked at the other girl and wiped at her mouth. "What are you going to do?" Her fingers danced across Johanna's hip.

Johanna groaned. "End you. Come on." She whined.

"Come on what?" She kissed the inside of Johanna's thigh.

Johanna leaned into the touch. "Fuck me."

"Like this?" She slipped her finger inside Johanna.

Johanna shifted her hips. She moaned softly. "Yeah, baby. Yeah. Like that."

Katniss thrust her finger in and out. "Is that good?"

"Yeah, yeah." Johanna squirmed.

Katniss leaned over Johanna. She pressed an open mouth kiss onto the Johanna's mouth. Johanna reveled in to the taste of herself on the other girl's tongue. She surged forward and kissed Katniss hard. Her fingers knotted in Katniss' dark hair. Johanna drove her hips upward, aching for more contact. Katniss inserted another finger. She increased the pace of her movements. Johanna stared into Katniss' grey eyes. She kissed her again.

"Yeah, like that. Yeah. Harder."

Katniss smiled. "So impatient." She dropped a kiss on Johanna's neck. Her tongue trailed across Johanna's breasts and settled warm and wet on Johanna's clit. Johanna recoiled slightly and then pushed her hips up with a moan. Katniss gave a muffled laugh and continued to drive her tongue and fingers forward.

Johanna hands tangled in the sheets. She peered down at Katniss and admired the sight of the other girl's naked body rubbing against her own. Katniss tongue and fingers worked slow, gentle, fast, and hard. Johanna's breathing hitched as she drew closer and closer to climax. She closed her eyes and lost herself in a rush of heat and ecstasy. She came with her fingers wrapped in Katniss' hair.

"That was good." Johanna whispered in a shaky voice.

In a haze of pleasure and exhaustion, they curled together. Their bodies' slick with sweat pressed closely against one another despite the heat of the summer night.

"I'm going to come back." Katniss ran her hand along Johanna's bare thigh.

"I know."

"You were holding on so tightly. I didn't think you believed me."

Johanna snuggled closer. She could bare her skin, so why not her bare her soul. "I didn't realize you were missing until you were here."

"I'm coming back. We'll pick back up whatever this is that we're doing."

Johanna inhaled. The smell of summer and sex pervaded the room. "We should shower."

"I'd rather sleep."

Johanna stretched out on the bed. "Too hot to sleep."

"Smells like rain." Her hand rested on Johanna's stomach.

"Maybe we'll get a good thunder storm."

"I like to watch the lightning." Katniss mumbled through a yawn.

Johanna watched Katniss' eyes droop. "Don't fall asleep."

"You wore me out. This is your fault." She turned onto her side and a burrowed into her pillow.

Johanna appreciated the curve of her body in the moonlight. Katniss' breathing evened out, but Johanna remained painfully awake. The rain did come. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed. The air cooled and Katniss found her way back into Johanna's arms. Johanna's eyes slipped shut and she gave into sleep in the early hours of the morning.

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	15. Chapter 15

**FIFTEEN **

"Are you going to cry?"

"No, I'm not going to fucking cry. Don't be an asshole, Everdeen." Johanna pushed Katniss towards the front door.

Katniss gazed back over her shoulder. "You look tearful."

"That's it. Get out of my house!" She shoved the other girl through the door. "I'm changing the locks." She declared.

Katniss turned quickly. She stood nose to nose with Johanna. "Say you'll miss me."

Johanna crossed her arms. "I won't."

"You already said it once." Katniss mocked sweetly.

"I had sex brain. I can't be held responsible for moonlight post-coital confessions. House rules."

"Yeah, okay." She wrapped her arms around Johanna's neck. "I'll call when I get in."

"You better. Don't make me come out there."

Katniss gaze shifted down. "What if he hates me?" She asked quietly.

"We'll cross that bridge if we have to."

"We will?"

"I'll drag your ass across all the bridges you need. 'Cause that's what we're doing here."

"What are we doing here?"

"We're falling in love, brainless. Don't be dumb. It doesn't suit you."

Katniss kissed her in response. "Don't burn the house down when I'm gone." She murmured against Johanna's lips. "Or buy any other furniture."

Johanna chuckled. "I would never. Cross my heart."

Katniss slowly pulled away. She straightened her braid and shouldered her bag. With one more peck against Johanna's lips, she fled across the lawn. Johanna lingered in the doorway.

"Make good choices!"

Katniss turned and flipped Johanna off. "Go to hell, Johanna Mason!."

Johanna smiled brightly and reciprocated the gesture with equal fervor. Johanna waited in the doorway until Katniss drifted out of sight. She shook her head to dislodge the fear settling in. She was confident the other girl would return. With one last look, she headed back in the house to begin her day.

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	16. Chapter 16

**SIXTEEN**

The days drifted by at a agonizingly slow pace. By the fifth day, Johanna almost cleaned the kitchen in a fit of nerves and anticipation. She reeled in the impulse. She didn't have a broom anyway.

"This is stupid." She picked at her lip. "She's going to come back. You can't just barge into a person's life. Ugh!" She kicked at the table. "Fucking girl on fire. She better come back. I'll kick her ass…lovingly. Ugh!" She tore out of the kitchen and headed towards her school hopeful that she could make the start of soccer practice.

Sufficiently exhausted and grass stained, Johanna staggered home a few hours later. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of her door swung wide open. She considered running, but it seemed prudent to keep the intensity of her attraction just a little secret. It's about standards, she reminded herself. She slowed to a tolerable pace and tried to ignore the feeling of her heart trapped in her throat. She was turning into a girl, complete with her own insufferable, tacky little romance.

"Everdeen! That better be you!" She bellowed into the open door.

Her cries were rewarded with an armful of a former enemy of the state.

Katniss leapt back and blushed. "Sorry. I just..I needed that."

Johanna pulled a long strand of brown hair from her mouth. "That bad?"

"It wasn't good. Before you ask, yes, there was crying. His and mine. Don't be a jerk."

"I wasn't going to." She whined.

Katniss cocked her head, unconvinced. "I know you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. A little sad. Tired."

"Well, crying is exhausting." Katniss punched her shoulder. Johanna winced and rubbed at the spot. "Is he all right?"

"We're a little worse for wear."

"But, you're back?" Johanna rocked on her heels.

"Yeah, I am."

"To stay?"

Katniss smiled broadly. "Yes. To stay. Until you become too unbearable."

"Maybe you'll become unbearable and I'll kick you out! It doesn't have to be me, you know. You're difficult too!"

"You're notoriously rude, Johanna."

"You're notoriously stubborn, Katniss." Johanna planted her hands on her hips.

"Fine. How about, until further notice, we'll both occupy the same space. Until one of us," she cast a significant glance in Johanna's direction, "become unbearable."

Johanna smirked. "Acceptable terms, Miss Everdeen." Johanna grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the stairs. "Come on, I'll bang the sad out of you."

"You're a classy broad."

"You love me."

Kantiss laughed. "Yeah, so what if I do?"

**THE END**

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